Women's Portraits

Susanne Danner

Susanne Danner, pseudonym

interviewed by Barbara Heinze on May 19, 2011 in her apartment in Berlin

Childhood Years in Hungary

Susanne was born in 1935 in Budapest; in 1941 she moved with her family to Klausenberg / Siebenbürgen, which at that time was a part of Hungary, where her father had found new employment. There she spent a happy childhood in a lovely villa in the midst of an “archaic” world. She went to school in Klausenberg and was a very good pupil. Both of her parents were musically talented – her mother was a goldsmith and her father was a musician – and led a sheltered life with Susanne and her two sisters. Luckily, she did not experience the war firsthand. After the war, Klausenburg, having been returned to Romania, was handed over to the Russians without a fight. The family did not have enough to eat, thus her father was forced to remove pages out of antiquarian books belonging to his old, rare book collection and trade them for bacon. In 1948 they were finally allowed to return to their Hungarian homeland; even now, later in life, she fondly remembers the following 10 years she spent in Budapest.

University Studies and a New Start in Germany

A talent in drawing and the advice of a friend led her to study architecture after she completed high school with honors in 1953. After the Hungarian Revolution in 1956, many Hungarians fled to Germany or Austria. Susanne, though, did not move to the West until 1958 (Audio 1): As an athlete she took part in a rowing regatta in Berlin-Grünau and used the opportunity to remain in West Berlin. Fortunately, friends took her in, and she did not have to go to a refugee camp.

Starting over in West Berlin was not easy. She had never learned German, neither at school nor at home, despite the fact that both of her grandmothers were German. At school she had learned Russian, and at home her father had taught her French. So now Susanne poured all her energy into learning German; after only three months she was able to continue her studies. However, the Technical University of Berlin only gave her partial credit for her almost completed studies in Budapest. In 1963, after five years of studies, she finally had her degree in engineering.

Now she was uncertain what to do and was doubtful whether she wanted to work as an architect. In the end, she decided to go back to school to study art history, and she was actually able to get scholarship. She then went to Sweden and Finland for internships and was a work shadow for the architect Scharoun, who was renowned for building the Berlin Philharmonic concert hall and was working on the New State Library building at the time. But Susanne was 10 years older than her fellow students and felt out of place. She felt that people considered her an “old witch” and an “Eastern Bloc refugee”.  Besides, it was a time of political turmoil brought on by the so-called “Generation of ‘68”.

Family and Career

In the mean time, she had found a place she could call home: a seven-room apartment in an old building, which she shared with a group of chaotic people. It was a stroke of luck that later she was able to have the apartment alone to herself. Now, after forty years, she still lives there today. During her studies, the birth of her son in (Audio 2) 1973 came at an inopportune time. She was forced to put her studies on hold. She needed an income, so she decided to take up work again as an architect. Susanne was married, but her husband was not the father of her child. Therefore, she decided to care for the child on her own. For two years she devoted herself to her son and only took on temporary work or sewed to make ends meet. Later, while working for an architect, her employer was kind enough to allow her to arrange her schedule around the needs of her child. Even today Susanne is proud that she was able to manage both child and career.

Ten years later she decided to become self-employed. She set up an architect firm in her seven-room apartment and found a partner with whom she worked successfully for many years. Susanne had no interest in new technology, but her job now required her to use graphics programs. Therefore, she decided to purchase a computer in the 90s and asked her nephew to teach her how to use it.

Within three months she was able to work with the computer and this helped her find a better balance between work and child care. As soon as she was permitted to visit Hungary, she often took her child to visit her parents. Susanne and her husband remained married, but lived separately. She maintained a good relationship to her husband and her son’s father, so Ferenz grew up with two caring fathers.

A New Chapter in Life

By 1995 fewer buildings were being built in Berlin; the building boom following reunification in 1989/90 had ended. As a result, architect firms in Berlin were struggling to survive. Since she did not have to spend extra money on office rent, Susanne avoided having to declare bankruptcy. Still, she was receiving fewer and fewer contracts. This caused her to worry, though, about how she was going to be able to keep her nice, spacious downtown apartment in the center of now reunited Berlin. To help pay the high rent and utilities, she decided to take in overnight guests. The second bathroom that had been put in 30 years ago would come in handy.

This was a turning point: In 2001 she welcomed her first guests (Audio 3). She could allow herself the luxury of only accepting guests upon personal recommendation. It was helpful to have a large circle of friends in Berlin, who she had met over the years through college or work. She enjoyed meeting and being with people and was always open to new ideas. Her guests not only appreciated her professional know-how and local knowledge of Berlin but also her interest in people and her candidness. They were more than happy to tell her about their experiences in Berlin: the people they encountered, the cultural events they attended. Susanne always had interesting insights to share from her own experiences. Computers and cell phones, though, still did not interest her. In this respect, her sisters, one who lives in the United States and the other who lives in Hungary, have kept up with technology and keep in contact through the Internet. She has a close relationship with her son, but as a musician he is constantly on the road and calls several cities his home, including Berlin. Susanne does regret that her granddaughter lives so far away in Hamburg.

What Lies Ahead

As a senior, Susanne is happy and enjoys the company of many good friends in Berlin. Every once and a while she is tired. That is not surprising, considering that she is in the middle of renovating her kitchen and her apartment is in chaotic condition. In spite of all the planning she has to do, she still finds time to give an overnight guest an interview. She does have problems with her back, and she is thinking about returning to Budapest, where she has many friends. There are those fond memories of Hungary, and she thinks that she would perhaps be better taken care of there. It would also probably be cheaper to live in the countryside near Budapest, because financially things are not all that rosy for her. But would it make sense to give up everything in Berlin? She is still able to live on her own, and a cleaning woman comes in to keep the spacious apartment tidy.

What would she have done differently? (Audio 4) She would have liked to have studied art history and history. She advises young people to learn a trade before they go to college: vocational qualifications earned at an early age are very important. When asked what she was most thankful for in life, Susanne replied that she was thankful for her parents: father, mother, and sisters were kind, understanding, and tolerant. Her parents did not hesitate to let their three daughters go to college, in spite of the difficult political situation at the time. They also supported her when she decided to raise her son on her own. Just mentioning the word “parents” brought tears to Susanne’s eyes; that surprised me, because the Susanne I have known for several years is full of laughter, optimistic, and very pragmatic, but never emotional.

Fotos

1 Report card (Romania)

2 High School Diploma (Hungary)

3 Diplom (Germany)

Barbara Heinze